Friday, June 3, 2011

I sort of can't believe I actually read this book. I blame Madigan for her lovely review at her blog Madigan Reads. I should really thank her (thank you Madigan!) because it was a really fun book that I never, ever, ever would have picked up otherwise.

So basically, the premise is that angels are bad guys who appear to be Wondrously Awesome, but really just suck your life and health away for their afternoon snack. There are AKs (Angel Killers), a decentralized group associated with the CIA, who are secretly fighting the angels, but the Church of the Angels is growing as are their devoted followers. When Alex is sent to another hit he finds out that there is more to this story then he’s been aware of and things are going to get more dangerous than ever before.

We've got two main characters. Willow, our teen psychic and Alex our teen angel killer. Inevitably, the two meet, hate each other, and angsty love sparks start to fly. The first part of the novel is definitely the best. Their narrow escape and their life on the run was fast paced, tense, and super fun to read.

However, when they finally get together the book basically grinds to a standstill. Nothing happens except them gazing into each others eyes and exchanging I love you’s. It drags. For me all the amazing tension that was built up in the first half completely dissipates. And it isn’t that they’ve gotten together, it is that way too much time is spent with them telling each other the same thing over and over. This is a case of what is thrilling in real life doesn’t always transfer to thrills on the page. In all honesty, after really getting into the book I had to force myself to finish.My only other thought is that I found it strange that the angels used the same lingo as the AKs. Angel burn is what the AKs call it when an Angel has sucked out so much of the life force of a person that they are left mentally damaged. When we shift perspectives to the Angels – they are calling it that too. It jarred with me. I thought their descriptions and perceptions would have made more sense if they had been different.

===============================================Book Source = I can't remember if this copy came from TLA or the mail.

2 comments:

Thank you for reviewing! I was wondering if anyone else had the same experience with this. Amazing set up, and then *noise of a needle screeching across a record* everything clunks to a halt. And what was with that non-climax?

Welcome to Oops!

Oops...Wrong Cookie is a book and reading blog maintained by Patti and Joanna with help from several friends around the country. We pretty much read everything, but have a strong focus on reviewing young adult literature and other (sometimes random) book or library related information.

Please note: We don't participate in blog tours. The original purpose of Oops was to provide a means to practice reviewing books and engaging in book discussions. Please leave a comment!

Patti is now an assistant branch manager in Austin after working for many years as a teen services librarian. She is very active with the Texas Library Association, serving twice on the Local Arrangement Committee (go Placement Center go!), she has served on the Tayshas High School Reading list in two different capacities and is currently serving as Chair of the Young Adult Round Table. She can be reached at countdownkid at gmail dot com.

Joanna is a teen services librarian turned stay at home mom of two boys. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida where she can often be found visiting the local libraries and appreciating that they always have something fun for her boys to do. In her illustrious 9 year librarian career, she was active in the Texas Library Association (serving as Chair of the Young Adult Round Table), a SXSW Dewey Winburne Community Service Award Honoree, and a totally rock star NYT Librarian of the Year. (*high five*!) She can be reached at jnlib at yahoo dot com.